Testing potential new hires will be streamlined

Friday

Jul 18, 2014 at 12:01 AMJul 21, 2014 at 1:40 PM

The Madison Township Fire Department is looking for some new recruits, and is partnering with several other communities and the C-TEC Adult Education Center to minimize costs and give applicants more job opportunities.

ANDREW MILLER, ThisWeek Community News

The Madison Township Fire Department is looking for some new recruits, and is partnering with several other communities and the C-TEC Adult Education Center to minimize costs and give applicants more job opportunities.

Township Fire Chief Robert Bates said the Central Ohio Firefighter Testing Consortium is a collaboration that has been a long time in the making. He believes it will save both the township and the applicants time and money and will set the groundwork for future hiring collaborations.

The consortium developed and administers the two-day pre-employment testing process that comprises a written exam and physical ability test, including an orientation to help prepare applicants for the test. Registration, administration and reporting are managed by the Career and Technical Education Centers in Newark.

"While this isn't in our backyard, it saves us taking applicants out to the Fire Academy and then we don't have to send some of our staff out to spend a weekend setting and resetting (physical ability) tests instead of working here," Bates said.

"C-TEC will do it all top-to-bottom, and once the applicant passes the testing, they can get on our list for our final hiring processes."

The Ohio Fire Academy is located in Reynoldsburg.

Bates said candidates who pass the C-TEC written and physical tests and background checks will be eligible to be hired by all the consortium members, which include the Newark Division of Fire, the Heath Division of Fire and the West Licking Joint Fire District.

"Aside from the benefits reaped in recruiting, the consortium also hopes that candidates can potentially qualify for employment with multiple departments by paying a single fee and participating in one testing process," C-TEC representative Erna Holland said.